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  • Can we keep lumber out of the landfill?

    July 08, 2021 |

    Living Here |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Canada

    Pollution caused by demolition is expected to be 2.2 billion tons by 2021. However, up to 75 percent of materials in a demolition can be recycled. An alternative method to demolition is deconstruction or unbuilding. The method always for lumber and other materials that are recyclable to be salvaged. Cities like Vancouver that have passed ordinances encouraging recycling saw results. One company, "Unbuilders," that specializes in deconstruction shows that using methods like tax receipts and appraisals can lead to both profit and better results for the environment.

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  • How Bogotá's Waste Pickers Reinvented Their Jobs for a Modern City

    July 05, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Colombia

    In Colombia, there are about 50,000 waste pickers, they collect and sort through trash to findrecyclabless to make a living. Their livelihood was threatened in the 1990s after Colombia adopted neoliberal policies that privatized trash collection. However, in 2016 the government officially recognized wastepickers as recycling service providers under a decree. That same year, the government introduced a "second payment," that supplement the income of waste pickers. Coupled, these two policies have improved the livelihood of wastepickers.

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  • Oregon Bottle Bill at 50

    June 23, 2021 |

    Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

    Radio |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Oregon

    In 1971, Oregon became the first state to adopt a law that established refundable deposits on beer and soft drink containers. So, if a consumer returned their plastic bottle, they would get their deposit back and that bottle then gets recycled. The Bottle Bill turned 50 this year and has proved to be a huge success. In 2019, it had a 90 percent return, meaning nine out of ten containers were being recycled. Other states are looking towards Oregon to replicate the model.

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  • This pregnancy test came back positive for the environment

    May 19, 2021 |

    FastCompany |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States

    Pregnancy tests account for two million pounds of plastic waste a year. If you were born before the 1980s, chances are your mother's pregnancy test is in a landfill. Since its creation in the 1970s, pregnancy tests remained the same; as single-use plastics that are not biodegradable. The founders of Lia Diagnostics sought to change that by revolutionizing the design and creating a pregnancy test made out of paper.

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  • The world's first 'infinite' plastic

    May 11, 2021 |

    BBC |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United Kingdom

    There are several chemical recycling methods being tested throughout the world, including one of the latest ones in the United Kingdom. Mura Technology is building the world’s first commercial-scale plant that can recycle all kinds of plastic and turn them into oil. Their method aims to process 80,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year once the plant opens in 2022. While some criticize that the chemical recycling process is very energy intensive and is not always profitable, the new Mura plant already has partnerships lined up with some plastic manufacturers.

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  • What to Do With Piles of Plastic Waste?

    May 10, 2021 |

    Yes! Magazine |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: Malawi, Lilongwe

    From collecting plastic to transforming it into infrastructure, communities all over the world are implementing solutions to tackle the growing amount of plastic waste. In Malawi, women are separating garbage from plastic and creating new products like fire briquettes, doormats, and organic compost that they can sell to others. A town in Tasmania turned their plastic waste into a road made of recycled asphalt that is expected to last 15 percent longer than regular asphalt. And Zimbabwe is employing youth to recycle plastic into eco-friendly construction materials.

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  • Captured and Converted: How Methane Powers Art in Western North Carolina

    April 27, 2021 |

    The Bitter Southerner |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Dillsboro, North Carolina

    Jackson County Green Energy Park uses methane leaking from a closed landfill to power blacksmithing and glassblowing studios. The county cleared 550 tons of loose debris and drilled thirteen 70-80-foot wells to capture the methane gas produced by bacteria digesting organic material, the 3rd leading human-caused type of greenhouse gas emissions. The studios, which offset the equivalent of taking nearly 1,000 vehicles off the road, also provide less expensive and more accessible studio spaces that have launched the careers of several artists. Reuse projects can capture up to 90% of a landfill’s methane.

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  • Can Ontario boost EV battery recycling before it's too late?

    April 22, 2021 |

    TVO |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Canada, Kingston, Ontario

    After lithium-ion batteries from iPhones, laptops, or electric cars are used up, the Ontario-based company LiCycle recycles parts of them to be reused in new batteries or in other products. While the recycling process isn’t completely environmentally friendly, the company is able to recover 95 percent of the raw materials and says their operations produces no carbon emissions, wastewater, or solid waste.

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  • Having Your Desalination and Eating It, Too

    April 09, 2021 |

    Hakai Magazine |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: Spain, Canary Islands

    A pilot experiment in the Canary Islands seeks to recycle brine waste from desalination plants to grow hydroponic tomatoes. The leftover brine can be harmful for seagrass along the coast, so researchers looked into ways to create a nutrient solution that could be used to raise tomatoes. Though the yield of the tomatoes using the brine solution was lower, they did have a sweeter taste.

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  • Planting trees can create plastic waste. One teenager is changing that.

    April 05, 2021 |

    Footprint |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: India, Chintalkunta, Telangana

    A teenager in India came up with a solution to combat the plastic waste crisis that usually comes with planting trees. Srija created a biodegradable pot made out of groundnut shells that decomposes in the soil after 20 days. She’s working with an organization to scale her product, which costs just 27 cents to make.

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